UT Football Enters Charlie Strong Era

New Texas football coach Charlie Strong says the Longhorns will field a mentally and physically tough team as he tries to push the program back among the national elite.

Texas introduced its new coach at a 45-minute news conference Monday. Strong breezed through with jokes and smiles before ending it with a "Hook'em Horns" hand signal.

Strong went 23-3 in the final two of his four seasons at Louisville, and succeeds Mack Brown who stepped down after 16 years as Longhorns head coach.

"We will recruit with fire and we will recruit with passion," Strong said.

Strong said he wants assistant coaches with Texas ties. He said he wants to control Texas first, then cherry pick other states such as Florida.

"If you surround yourself with the right people, it's no pressure," he said.

Strong talked about his coaching philosophy.

"I'm a football coach. I just want to change kids' lives," he said.

Strong said he wants to develop them right attitude with his players and he wants them to graduate but…

"It's all about championships in the end," he said.

He took over a Cardinals team coming off three straight non-winning seasons and proceeded to turn the program around. Louisville went 37-15 under Strong, but compiled an impressive 23-3 mark over the past two years. The Cardinals captured a pair of Big East Conference championships and posted a 3-1 record in bowl games during his tenure.

Prior to Louisville, Strong spent 15 seasons as an assistant at Florida during four stints, including seven years as the defensive coordinator (2003-09). He was also the defensive coordinator at South Carolina.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. wages and benefits grew in the spring at the slowest pace in 33 years, stark evidence that stronger hiring hasn't boosted pay. The slowdown also reflects a sharp drop-off in bonus and incentive pay.

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